21st May 2024
Over the weekend, we witnessed a vibrant celebration of music, dance, and drama performed by our children, centered around the Pacific feast day - "White Sunday."
Soul Sessions premiered their White Sunday Special on the evening of Saturday 18th May at Hoyts Cinema in Sylvia Park, drawing a large crowd of over 200+ community leaders, families and children.
Left Photo & Right Photo: Filimoehala family and EFKS Otara Sunday School in attendance of Soul Sessions White Sunday special premiere on May 18th.
To reinforce the theme of celebrating children, the live event was led by a young Pacific duo - Amadeus Filimoehala (11) and Micayla-Jane Elika (14) who outlined the formalities and introduced the items including a beautiful Tau’olunga performance by feature talent in the Special, La’amo'oni Filimoehala, who was accompanied by a Tongan string band.
The Soul Sessions special, is a partnership between ECG and the Ministry of Education. The purpose of the project was to provide a comprehensive ‘White Sunday’ experience for those not too familiar with the feastday and this included showcasing and explaining Bible verse recitals, singing, dancing, and drama performances from different church and community groups around Auckland.
“I loved how you can really walk away and understand what White Sunday is, even if you've never heard about it before,” says Sara-Jane Elika, executive producer of the Soul Sessions White Sunday Special.
For those present, the White Sunday Special was a celebration of identity, culture, language, and lifestyle for young Pacific kids in New Zealand. The month of May was specifically chosen as the premiere date to celebrate "Fakame" - our Tongan Children's White Sunday and to commemorate Rotuman Language Week. The Soul Sessions series uses the Rotuman word "Hanuju" which means to kōrero or talanoa as a way of contributing to the preservation of indigenous Pacific languages which is visualised in the White Sunday special.
“I think it's important for our Pacific children to know that they are valued, to know that their culture, their language, and their whole selves are really special. They should know that God made them that way, and that's something they should be proud of,” shared Auckland councillor, Lotu Fuli.
The Soul Sessions White Sunday Special is now available online on our ECG Media Channel Soul Sessions White Sunday Special.
Soul Sessions offers an opportunity for audiences to immerse themselves in the power of music and conversation that uplifts and touches the soul - so tune in, be inspired, and experience the captivating magic of Soul Sessions!
YouTube:
To watch the full series of Soul Sessions click here.
For media inquires: Vaiola Tauti